


a change of p(l)ace might just be the thing

by sunset_swerved



Series: sonsetcurve’s 12 days of jatpmas [10]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Holiday Traditions, awkward Bobby, pre-Bobby/Ray I’m gonna be honest with you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:55:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28272726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunset_swerved/pseuds/sunset_swerved
Summary: She had always wanted a large family, his Rose. She only had her sister growing up and envied the other children who had siblings upon siblings. They had tried, the two of them, but it just wasn’t in God’s plan for them.Maybe because He knew that Rose was going to be joining him sooner rather than later or maybe because he knew that the three boys who lived in his garage would become a bigger part of his life than he thought.Ray’s hand rested over the faucet, ready to turn it on and actually get to work. Victoria would be upset at him if he let it get messy, saying he was wasting away when he really just wanted to sit and watch television with Carlos or sit in the garage and listen to music being made. He was waiting for something,anythingto pull him away.Then, as if heard by God Himself, his phone started ringing.
Series: sonsetcurve’s 12 days of jatpmas [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056728
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	a change of p(l)ace might just be the thing

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 10 of sonsetcurve’s holiday thing over on tumblr! I can’t believe it’s almost over. I’m glad I got to write Ray, even if writing an older man was difficult I hope I did the man justice. For days 11 and 12 I’m doing something different - they’ll both be from the perspective of the same person instead of someone different to close it out and I’m super excited! Hope you enjoy!

Ray stood, at the window in the kitchen over the sink piled high with dishes that he didn’t want to wash, and listened as the music from his daughter’s band floated through said window and into the house - lighting it up in a way that was a complete 180 from this time last year.

The boys that had brought music back into, not just Julie’s life but  _ all _ of theirs, had become like family to him, like extra sons that he knew his Rose had always wanted but couldn’t have.

She had always wanted a large family, his Rose. She only had her sister growing up and envied the other children who had siblings upon siblings. They had tried, the two of them, but it just wasn’t in God’s plan for them.

Maybe because He knew that Rose was going to be joining him sooner rather than later or maybe because he knew that the three boys who lived in his garage would become a bigger part of his life than he thought.

Ray’s hand rested over the faucet, ready to turn it on and actually get to work. Victoria would be upset at him if he let it get messy, saying he was wasting away when he really just wanted to sit and watch television with Carlos or sit in the garage and listen to music being made. He was waiting for something,  _ anything _ to pull him away.

Then, as if heard by God Himself, his phone started ringing.

He took a deep breath and moved away from the window to where he had last seen his phone. He was getting scatterbrained in his old(er) age and had been known to misplace all of his belongings. Ray was pretty sure that if it weren’t for Reggie, Julie would have stapled his keys to one hand and his phone to the other.

Eventually, he found his ringing phone (under a bill on the mantle, it had almost vibrated itself into the stocking they had hung up for Alex) and quickly answered it.

“ _ Hola _ ,” he said, happily, holding the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he made his way back to the kitchen.

“ _ Hey, Ray _ ,” Trev-  _ Bobby _ said from the other end.

And that, that was probably one of the best (and worst, Ray couldn’t lie) things about this year - the return of their friendship. 

He had met Bobby through his Rose, shortly after the boys (who lived in his garage and were forever 17) died. The other man was a  _ wreck _ and Rose took him under her wing, the two of them slowly building him back up into a person who could stand on his own two feet after losing those close to him.

Ray just wished he had been there when  _ he _ had to do the same.

“Bobby!” Ray replied, excitedly. “How are you? You’re not calling to cancel, are you?”

Bobby on the other end chuckled and Ray resisted the urge to shiver at the deep timbre of it.

He was much too old for that.

“ _ I think Carrie would kill me if I did _ ,” the man replied. “ _ No, I was actually calling to see if you were going to go look at the lights this year? _ ”

Ray’s breath caught in his throat, his eyes growing misty.

Every year, two days before Christmas, he and his Rose would walk around their little neighborhood and look at all of the Christmas decorations that their neighbors had put up. It was the best time, she had always insisted, because it was so close to Christmas and everyone always went all out.

He didn’t go last year, too busy trying to be strong for both of his children, and hadn’t even  _ thought  _ about going this year.

It would be wrong, to go without her.

You see, Ray believed that his Rose was the reason the sun rose in the morning and the moon rose at night. She painted each individual star in the sky, telling stories with her laughter and her music until the night sky was blanketed with every story that it could ever hold - all because of her. When she died, he was  _ lost _ . He couldn’t lose himself, not like he wanted to, because of Julie and Carlos, but God did he want to.

“I, uh… no,” he eventually replied, aware that the silence was getting too loud and too long. “I hadn’t, um, thought about it.”

“ _ Well _ ,” Bobby started, a tinge to his voice that Ray could have sworn was nervousness. “ _ Would you like to? I mean, Carrie is out with her friends and this house is- _ “

“Lonely?” Ray filled in, when the other man trailed off.

Bobby sighed. “ _ Yeah, lonely. _ ”

“I don’t know,” Ray said, his heart staccatoing in his chest. “Without Rose-“

“ _ What about you come here? _ ” Bobby offered. “ _ I can send for a car, to pick you up. We can walk around Malibu and look at the obnoxious houses of my obnoxious rich neighbors. I know I’m not Rose, but I always admired this tradition that you had with her. She helped me and I’m tired of not being able to help you, _ ” Ray heard Bobby sigh, before he cleared his throat. “ _ Please. _ ”

He could go. He could go and have an amazing time and spend time with a friend that he hadn’t really hung out with in  _ years _ and talk about Rose but in a way that he wouldn’t have to see the Holstein’s Hanukkah light display or the Meierson’s giant Grinch inflatable that for some reason filled with him rage and always had.

Bobby started to ramble, while he was thinking, the man’s words flowing through one ear and out the other but swaddled his brain in a sweet cotton that made the choice easy.

“So you’ll send a car?” He finally replied, interrupting the word vomit that he hadn’t been paying attention too. 

“ _ Yeah Ray, _ ” Bobby replied. Ray could almost hear the smile in his voice. “ _ I’ll send a car. _ ”

Maybe this would be a start of a new holiday tradition.

  
  



End file.
